To Stop an Honorable Thief
by JPMod
Summary: Point-of-view of Captain La Forge and the Challenger crew as they attempt to stop Kim and Chakotay from changing the timeline and reasons why. One-shot "Timeless" vignette.


A/N: I'd made this vignette way back in November 1998 sometime after the 'Star Trek: Voyager' episode "Timeless" aired. I thought maybe I should over time upload my old VOY fics, so readers of my KP fics can read what I'd written a decade ago. :)

It is recommended that one least seen the VOY episode "Timeless" to understand this vignette.

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Disclaimers: Star Trek: Voyager is owned by Paramount Inc. This story is owned by JuPMod. This story can be archived in the alt.startrek.creative archive, but will need the owner's permission before archiving anywhere else - archive or web page. This story is made for a non-profit use - reading. All positive feedback (Constructive crit, encouragement, etc), except for flames, are welcome.

Summary: Point-of-view of Captain La Forge and the Challenger crew as they attempt to stop Kim and Chakotay from changing the timeline and reasons why.

TNG/VOY "Timeless" Vignette

To Stop an Honorable Thief  
By JuPMod (aka JPMod)

Captain Geordi La Forge walked out of his Ready Room onto the Challenger's bridge. It was sleek, comfortable, and the brain of the ship.

Before sitting down into his chair, he barked out orders on updates and report on capturing the Delta Flyer. So far, the little ship was still being elusive in all attempts to seize it.

Geordi has to admire Mr. Chakotay and Mr. Kim. They certainly, as they had promised, wouldn't allow anyone to deter them from trying to save the ship and crew of the USS Voyager. After all, Voyager had been their home for four years in the Delta Quadrant, charting the unknown sectors and literally "Going where no one has gone before." The Voyager crew had became a closely tight family during those four years thus the Captain understood the two ex-Starfleet officers were following their hearts to save those they care and love.

However, La Forge knew the dire consequences if the timeline were to be altered.

Chakotay and Harry Kim, fifteen years ago, had brought the knowledge of Quantum Slipstream Technology to the Alpha Quadrant. The Dominon War wasn't fairing well for the Federation at the time, but the new propulsion system had able to turn the tide of the war dramatically to the Federation/Klingon/Romulan Alliance. Thus countless of lives had been spare once the war was over with the cease-fire the Dominon and Cardassians asked for.

Five years afterward, slipstream ships were expanding space exploration and the frontier rapidly into all corners of the galaxy, including the Delta Quadrant. New doors and opportunities opened with the expansion thus a whole new way of life had been born for countless billions.

If Chakotay and Kim were to succeed in preventing Voyager from being destroyed, it may change the timeline for the worse. There's a chance Voyager might be able to make it to Earth in the new timeline thus history would be slightly different. But what if Voyager aborted the slipstream flight and the Delta Flyer **hadn't** made it to Earth? The Dominion/Cardassian Alliance could still win the war and further lives would be lost. Furthermore, Voyager might come home a few years later to a Dominion/Cardassion Empire where the slipstream technology would end up in the wrong hands.

La Forge mentally shook his end. No, he's taking no chances what so ever. The timeline **must** be preserve at all cost. Those 130 plus crew of the USS Voyager had died tragically but had benefited all in the long run. It must not change!

By Lady Luck, the Captain's security/tactical chief managed to disable the Delta Flyer engines and locked a tractor beam onto the little ship. LaForge complimented the officer with grace before telling his ops officer to haul the Flyer in.

However, Lady Luck switched sides a few moments later. The Delta Flyer emitted a plasma surge along the beam, disabling it before breaking away at full thrusters.

//Damn them!// Geordi mentally screamed. //They're good.// "After them," he barked.

"Sir," his ops officer called, "their warp matrix is overloading. Sensors showed they can't eject the core since their emergency systems are off-line."

Challenger's captain pressed the comm button on his chair. "La Forge to Delta Flyer. Our sensors are reading an overload in your warp matrix. Lower your shields and we'll beam you out of there." He turned to the ops officer, who nodded and was preparing for the beam out.

"I appreciate the offer, Captain, but the answer's 'No'. I suggest you get to a safe distance," Chakotay's voice was heard before the line was broken.

La Forge slumped into his chair. "Helm, pull us away."

Challenger turned away as the ops officer counted down to the Delta Flyer's destruction. La Forge would have done the same thing in Chakotay's position. Better to died free than spend the rest of one's life in prison.

At zero, the bridge crew watched on the main screen as the Delta Flyer blew apart in a blazing antimatter explosion. There was nothing left afterward.

"Sir?" La Forge's tactical/security chief called. "How could we tell whether they'd succeeded in altering the timeline? I mean we're still here, right?"

He was about to reply when his ops officer cried out. "Captain! Sensors are picking up a massive **temporal** shockwave just appearing out of nowhere! It's spreading **everywhere**!"

Challenger's captain sighed before rising and turning to face his tactical/security officer. "There's your answer, Lieutenant. They'd **succeeded**." He and the bridge crew turned to the main screen showing the approaching wave. "They'd succeeded. For better or for worse. Which one will history embrace?" He shrugged. "Only **time** will tell."

And the shockwave hit.

The End

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After-story A/N: Yeah, yeah. I know this one-shot has many grammar errors, etc. It's only a one-shot anyway, so I'm not so worry over it. Just wait until I upload my VOY fic "To a Different Toon" for I have no doubt that is ridden with errors.


End file.
